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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. face — to confront
  3. row — a line
  4. row — to paddle
  5. kick — in football
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. bark — to shout
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bat — the animal
  12. land — to come down
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. face — part of the head
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. face — to point toward
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. land — ground
  24. land — a country

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com